Ceramic
A typical Dale ceramic mug will have a rough, unfinished flat base, that flares inwards slightly to either vertical or slightly-bowl-shaped sidewalls, and a 'smooth bowl' inside bottom. It will typically have a dark brown base and handle, a light clay hue drinking-lip around the top, and a band of deep blue glaze around the middle of the body decorated with repeating waves or stippling drawn with a fingertip, or even a series of fingertip impressions to outline a face or a sun rays or flowerhead design. In addition to this finish, a ceramic mug will share adornments with copper vessels of these typical sorts: a bearded smiling face sculpted in relief on the body of the mug, across from the handle; the handle shaped like the head and scaled neck of a serpent or wyvern or dragon (sometimes with a suggestion of wing outlines across the body of the mug); an oval frame on one or both 'sides' of the body (if the handle is considered the keel or center line of the vessel, the bulge of the body 90 degrees to its left, and to its right, are the two sides) enclosing a scene. Such frames are often shaped to look like a snake biting its own tail, or a swordbelt with various elaborate buckles, and the scenes inside them are sometimes birds or the heads of animals (stags are popular), but are more often simplified scenes of heroism, such as a lone knight defending a bridge against many mounted foes, or a man wrestling off a hungry bear, or a local legend (wronged wife turning into dragon or swan; castle cracking and falling because its owner broke his word or lost a bet; and so on). In the Dales, it's the custom to give a visitor in summer a mug of water to drink, and a bowl of water to bathe their feet in (they do the bathing and removal of footwear and the acceptance of either water, and it's not considered insulting to refuse). In winter, a visitor will be given warm water or warmed oils for their feet, and a place by the fire or stove or other source of heat, if any, plus something warm to drink (again, refusing is not an insult). A visitor who comes armed (with battle-weaponry, not simple belt-knives or tools, not matter how deadly these may be when properly wielded) is expected to promise "Peace upon this house" (which is a literal promise of: I won't draw weapon or use it while under this roof, nor set fire to the lodging itself), and to offer his sheathed sword to the lady of the house "for safekeeping" until departure. By tradition, the lady of the house (the senior mentally competent female in residence) puts the sheathed weapon in her bed so that no one can get to it in the dark hours of slumber and do bloodshed, but in actual practise the weapon may be hung from the rafters, laid on a mantel, or even hidden -- but if it is hidden, it must be yielded up speedily when the guest announces their intended departure, or the guest is entitled to do violence to get it! Category:Substances